Auckland

There are several University alumni clubs and networks active in New Zealand.

Chinese Alumni Club

The University of Auckland Chinese Alumni Club is a non-profit organisation that aims to connect and support the many Chinese alumni currently residing in Auckland. The club organises regular events to help Chinese alumni stay connected to the University, as well as network and socialise.

Led by Volunteer Alumni Coordinator Rachel Yang and a strong, passionate committee, the club’s vision is to celebrate the successes of Chinese alumni. The club also provides professional and personal support to members.

Join the Chinese Alumni Club group to keep in touch with other alumni and graduates from China.

Rachel began her career at the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) while completing her Master of Legal Studies at the University of Auckland Law School. At the IRD, she worked in the areas of insolvency and investigation.

Rachel is now a fully qualified Chartered Accountant of Australia and New Zealand, and is working as a Senior Risk and Compliance Specialist at Sovereign. She runs an accountant and tax training business and a Chartered Accounting firm. Prior to this she worked for the Commonwealth Bank of Australia as a senior risk analyst.

Rachel attributes her professional interests to the lecturers she had while at University. She credits Audrey Sharp and Professor Craig Elliffe with enriching her knowledge of tax law, which ultimately influenced her decision to work for the IRD. She also wishes to thank her Law School mentor, Professor Gordon Williams, for his assistance on her final research paper.

During her time at the University, Rachel remembers studying with her friends late at night. They would work on research papers in the OGGB Postgraduate Lab, which was open 24 hours a day.

“It was very stressful,” says Rachel, “but I really enjoyed it because my friends were studying together with me.”

She emphasises that university is about more than obtaining a degree: “It’s about enjoying the time there and building up your future professional network.”

Nowadays, Rachel enjoys having more time to travel, watch movies, and get out in her garden.

“Success for me is not about having a lot of money or living in a big house,” she says, “it’s about enjoying what I have.”

Rachel is interested in hearing from Chinese alumni in Auckland.

Contact Rachel

Māori Alumni Club (Ngā Taniwha)

Representing the University of Auckland Māori Alumni, Ngā Taniwha was established with the goal of advancing Māori business and strengthening the Māori economy through its extensive contacts and networks.

Academic success may have escaped Dan at high school, but an opportunity to get into technology while working at Dick Smith Electronics in Christchurch helped him find his passion and by 26 he was the National Commercial Manager. With new focus and confidence he started studying at 30 completing a diploma in business, a diploma in te reo māori, then an Executive MBA and a Masters in Advanced Leadership. He went on to senior leadership positions as National Commercial Sales Manager at Noel Leeming and National Sales Manager at Samsung. In 2010 he received the Mira Szászy Alumni Award at the Aotearoa Māori Business Leader Awards for his exceptional leadership in the private sector and his work in iwi development. Dan is now an account executive at global technology solutions company DellEMC, Deputy Chair of the NZ Māori Tourism and Deputy Chair of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Ruanui. He does these outside of being a loving husband to Michelle and dad to three amazing children – Josh, Tyler and Maia.

Dan is proud to be involved in Ngā Taniwha because of the opportunity to provide spaces for our māori alumni to connect, share knowledge and kōrero. “Our whakataukī given to us from our
kaumātua and rangatira, Manuka Henare, is ‘Anei te reo korokī o Ngā Taniwha e ngunguru nei’ which when translated metaphorically
means ‘when Ngā Taniwha start to shake and move, the world changes’. His guiding principle to us is about ensuring we are impactful in everything we do for our whānau, hapū and iwi on a local, national and global level. We must strive to be the best at what we do and not accept anything less. It is a mantle handed down from our ancestors.”

MBA Alumni Club (AMBAAC)

Situated in the Business School, the University of Auckland MBA Alumni Club (AMBAAC) was founded in 2012 to help fellow graduates maximise the value of their MBA degrees.

Governed by an independent alumni board, the AMBAAC’s objectives are to:

Continuously challenge our thinking

To maintain the value of our University of Auckland MBA

Build powerful networks

To share experiences and opportunities with graduates of the University of Auckland MBA programmes